Did Joe Biden forget that he is no longer in the White House or is he engaging in shadow diplomacy?
The Biden family took over Nantucket against this year and enjoyed a lavish Thanksgiving vacation while staying at billionaire David Rubenstein’s sprawling mansion.
The Bidens completely shut down Main Street of Nantucket on Wednesday to shop at ritzy stores. Wednesday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year when people are trying to get ready for Thanksgiving.
On Friday, Joe Biden was shuffling around Nantucket like a zombie before the Christmas tree lighting.
At one point, Joe Biden made his way over to Ukrainian women in Nantucket and told them he was engaging in shadow diplomacy.
“Thank you so much for your support of Ukraine,” a woman said to Joe Biden.
Biden told the women that he’s pushing hard for Urkaine.
“By the way, I keep pushing as hard as I can [for Ukraine],” Biden said.
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Joe Biden sent billions of dollars to Ukraine and now the US’s total number of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and precision munitions are sinking.
Over the summer the Pentagon halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine after it was revealed that Joe Biden depleted the US stockpiles.
Biden sent Ukraine as much money and military aid as possible in his last few weeks in office.
Last September, the Biden Regime announced an eye-watering $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Congress has approved nearly $175 billion in aid and military assistance for Ukraine.
In a clear display of frustration with New York’s soft-on-crime policies, Anthony Caines, the 45-year-old Brooklyn man infamous for his alleged spitting spree targeting white women, was left bloodied and battered on a Williamsburg sidewalk after two unidentified men delivered what looks like vigilante justice.
The incident, captured on video and shared widely on social media, shows Caines curled up in a fetal position as the duo kicks and punches him, issuing a stern warning to “Stop violating these females out here, you heard?”
The beatdown went down outside a hair salon on Sixth Street, though the exact date of the footage remains unclear.
Caines, who sports a large gash above his left eye and a knot over his right, can be heard wailing in pain as blood streams down his face. The attackers, whose faces aren’t visible in the clip, laugh as they stomp on his legs and deliver blows to his head.
One final punch seals the deal before they walk away.
“We’re tired of that s–t. You’re making us look bad,” one of the men says.
When Caines whimpers, “I went to jail, didn’t I?” the vigilante responds, “F–k jail — we’re worse than jail.”
Serial spitter Anthony Caines was on the receiving end of some “street-style justice.”
The men yelled at Caines to, “Stop violating these females out there!”
The video was originally posted by an account called NYC Scoop. It is unclear how they obtained the footage. The Gateway Pundit has reached out for comment and will update this article if one is provided.
This comes just weeks after Caines’ arrest for his serial spitting attacks in Williamsburg, where he allegedly targeted white women passing by on the street.
Caines pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated harassment based on race or religion and was sprung the very next day with an ankle monitor, thanks to New York’s lenient bail reforms.
The New York Post reports, “The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office is still interested in speaking to any additional victims who’ve yet to come forward.”
No police report was filed for the assault on Caines, according to the NYPD, leaving many to wonder if this is the kind of “justice” fed-up residents are turning to in a city plagued by repeat offenders.
In a bombshell revelation that vindicates long-standing concerns from vaccine skeptics, a top FDA official has admitted that COVID-19 shots are tied to the deaths of at least 10 children.
The admission comes from an internal memo obtained by The New York Times, highlighting the dangers of myocarditis, a serious heart inflammation, caused by the vaccines.
“This is a profound revelation,” Dr. Prasad wrote the memo to staff members, per The Times. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that Covid-19 vaccines have killed American children.”
Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and a vocal critic of overreaching COVID mandates, authored the memo.
Prasad described the findings as “a profound revelation” and called for sweeping changes to vaccine approval processes. This includes mandatory randomized controlled studies for every subgroup, ensuring no more rushed authorizations like those seen during the pandemic.
Prasad, an oncologist by training, has long questioned the blanket promotion of vaccines and masks, and his role in the FDA under the current administration marks a shift toward greater scrutiny.
The memo doesn’t detail the ages, underlying health conditions, or specific vaccine brands involved in these tragic cases. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee is set to discuss the review in an upcoming meeting, which could lead to further revelations.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary backed up the memo’s claims during an appearance on Fox News, stating plainly: “There were, it appears, 10 deaths of children from the COVID shots.”
Makary emphasized that the data stems from the Biden administration era, adding that while the vaccines may have benefited high-risk elderly individuals, pushing annual shots on young people “is not based on science.”
This development aligns with actions from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime advocate for vaccine safety who has already restricted COVID vaccines to those 65 and older or with qualifying health conditions.
This reverses the all-out push under previous administrations, including mandates that forced millions, including children, into getting the shots despite emerging risks.
For years, independent voices and concerned parents have raised alarms about potential vaccine harms, only to be dismissed as “conspiracy theorists” by mainstream media and Big Pharma allies.
Now, with officials like Prasad and Makary in charge, the truth is finally emerging. This memo could be the tipping point for overhauling how vaccines are tested and approved, preventing future unnecessary tragedies.
The White House communications team destroyed ex-CNN White House Correspondent Kate Bennett on Friday after she attacked President Trump for berating fake news reporters in a feminism-laden X post.
This comes after Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey interrupted President Trump and another reporter on Air Force One last weekend to ask about the Epstein files, and he gave her a new nickname.
“Quiet, quiet Piggy,” he said, pointing his finger at her in the now-viral clip.
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More recently, during a Thanksgiving news conference, Trump called out CBS’s Nancy Cordes, asking, “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” after she asked why he blamed Biden for the unvetted mass migration that allowed 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal to ambush two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, killing one and leaving the other critically injured.
Kate Bennett whined on X that Trump has called reporters “piggy, ugly, stupid, etc,” and claimed that “it’s actually because the women are the ones asking all the tough questions.”
“Give that a thought,” she added.
You know, everyone keeps writing these stories about how President Trump is only insulting female reporters by calling them piggy, ugly, stupid etc. But, it’s actually because the women are the ones asking all the tough questions. Give that a thought.
The White House trolling the press is nothing new. As The Gateway Pundit reported, the White House rolled out a new page on the official White House website featuring the worst offenders in the fake news media in a “hall of shame” for their lies and misreporting.
The page features a “record of the media’s false and misleading stories flagged by The White House” with a comprehensive database. This allows users to find examples of specific news outlets and reporters with offenses in several categories, including bias, circular reporting, failure to report, false claims, left-wing lunacy, lies, malpractice, mischaracterization, misrepresentation, omission of context, and woke.
The Boston Globe, CBS, and the Independent were named this week’s “Media Offender of the Week” for their coverage of the Democrats’ calls for sedition and Trump’s calls for accountability.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández fits into his broader Latin America strategy in a way that is consistent, deliberate, and rooted in three themes that guide his approach to the entire region: illegal immigration control, anti-drug enforcement, and opposition to leftist and authoritarian governments aligned with Cuba, Venezuela, and increasingly China.
President Trump has treated illegal immigration as the primary national-security challenge coming from Latin America. His policies include externalizing asylum processing so migrants apply outside the United States, pressing governments to accept more deportees, and using tariffs, trade negotiations, and visa restrictions as leverage.
The asylum agreement with Honduras, which allows the United States to send some non-Honduran asylum seekers there for processing, follows the same model he applied to Guatemala and El Salvador during his first term. Building a regional system that stops migrant flows before they reach the U.S. border will sharply reduce the number of illegal aliens Border Patrol must apprehend and lower the overall number entering the country.
Mexico occupies the central position in countering both illegal immigration and narcotrafficking. Trump has used tariffs, threats of economic penalties, and the threat of direct military action, alongside ongoing negotiations with Mexican officials, to compel action against migrant caravans, smuggling routes, and cartel-linked trafficking operations.
Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala have also faced sharper pressure to restrict northbound migration, with Trump tying aid, trade terms, and access to U.S. labor programs to compliance on immigration enforcement.
Anti-narcotrafficking strategy is the second major pillar of Trump’s Latin America policy. He treats narcotics trafficking as both a criminal threat and a political one, focusing on governments that have allowed traffickers to operate. Mexico, which could be described as a narcostate, is the main target, where Trump has designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and has considered direct U.S. military action against the cartels on Mexican soil.
In Colombia, the administration has pressed for expanded aerial eradication and tighter cooperation after record increases in cocaine production. In Ecuador, Trump has backed the government’s expanded anti-gang operations following cartel-driven violence.
Trump has also praised El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for his anti-gang campaign and highlighted the mass arrests of MS-13 and Barrio 18 members, along with the construction of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a high-security facility built to detain tens of thousands of gang members. Bukele’s crackdown produced a dramatic reduction in homicides and gang-related violence, and Trump cites these results as evidence that uncompromising security measures can curb transnational criminal organizations that threaten U.S. interests.
The final major pillar of President Trump’s Latin America policy is anti-socialism, and Venezuela is at the center of this confrontation. Trump views Nicolás Maduro as an authoritarian socialist leader whose government is intertwined with narcotrafficking networks and aligned with Cuba and China.
Maduro continued the socialist economic system created by Hugo Chávez, which drove Venezuela from one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries to one of its poorest and produced one of the largest migration crises in the world. Trump has responded by expanding military operations targeting drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and has not ruled out additional military or covert action. His Venezuela policy also shapes his stance toward Nicaragua, where he has imposed sanctions and denounced Daniel Ortega’s consolidation of power.
China’s regional expansion feeds into President Trump’s anti-socialist agenda in Latin America. Beijing is deepening its influence by partnering with left-leaning or authoritarian governments. Trump’s administration has used visa restrictions, investment reviews, and public warnings to counter Chinese involvement in Chile’s mining sector, Venezuela’s surveillance systems, Nicaragua’s digital infrastructure, and Argentina’s space-tracking facilities.
Honduras became more significant after it severed ties with Taiwan in 2023 and recognized Beijing, prompting Washington to apply migration pressure, tariffs, and political signaling to encourage a return to closer alignment with the United States. Similar concerns have guided Trump’s demands that Panama limit Chinese access to critical infrastructure linked to the Panama Canal.
Trump’s Latin America policy is consistent across the region, addressing three main concerns: illegal immigration, narcotrafficking, and the spread of socialist governments aligned with Cuba, Venezuela, and China. At the same time, President Trump supports the few right-leaning Latin American leaders and candidates who align with U.S. interests, including Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Javier Milei (Argentina), Juan Orlando Hernández (Honduras), and Nasry “Tito” Asfura (Honduras).
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has responded to a recent report, claiming that the Department of War, under dubious legal authority, ordered secondary strikes to kill drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea after they survived an initial strike, and that US forces are killing narcoterrorists without justification.
“As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors,” the Washington Post report claims. According to an anonymous source, Hegseth gave a verbal order “to kill everybody” in the September 2 strike against narcoterrorists trafficking narcotics into the United States, which killed 11 designated terrorists.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump posted footage from the strike on September 2, stating, “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
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Now, nearly three months later, Washington Post sources used in the article liken the SEAL Team 6-led operation to “murder” and a “war crime.”
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) described the operations as “blatantly illegal,” adding, “Mark my words: It may take some time, but Americans will be prosecuted for this, either as a war crime or outright murder.”
This, of course, comes as six Democratic lawmakers recently made similar threats against members of the military, urging them to refuse the President’s orders, which they baselessly described as “illegal.” Trump has not given any illegal orders. This was an attempt to sow doubt and interfere with military operations.
Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin (MI), a former CIA agent in the seditious conspiracy, even recently admitted that Trump has not given a single illegal order to members of the military. Still, she threatened service members with thinly veiled warnings, comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler and suggesting they may face Nuremberg-style military tribunals for following orders. She further pointed to movies like “A Few Good Men” to intimidate military members into thinking twice before they follow this President.
Democrat Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain, now faces a Department of War investigation and potential recall into active duty for court-martial proceedings due to misconduct under the Uniform Code of Military Justice following the attempt to dissuade loyalty to the Commander in Chief. Specifically, Kelly is under investigation for violations of federal laws, including 18 U.S.C. § 2387, which prohibits “actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces,” the Department said.
CNN reported on the ongoing situation in Venezuela on Friday, pushing the narrative of illegal strikes and casting further doubt on President Trump’s orders amid Democratic lawmakers’ seditious calls for armed service members to defy President Trump and the Department of War’s orders.
CNN analyst and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner described the reporting as “really shocking,” if true, comparing it to Russians killing Ukrainian prisoners and Israel killing civilians in Gaza. She further appeared to justify the Democratic lawmakers’ calls for military sedition and the question of whether members of the military will be prosecuted for protecting our homeland from the violent South American gangs invading our country.
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As The Gateway Pundit reported, the United States is ramping up its offensive on Venezuelan narcoterrorists and the Maduro Regime with new threats of strikes in the air and land, as well as the ongoing strikes at sea.
President Trump on Saturday declared the skies above and surrounding Venezuela “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY” in a warning to “Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers” amid the potential strikes on the ground in Venezuela.
Hegseth responded to the firestorm of “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting” on Friday, maintaining that the actions are lawful and align with the stated intention of the strikes to be “lethal, kinetic strikes.”
He further declared that “We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists” in a follow-up post.
As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.
As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be “lethal, kinetic strikes.” The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.
The Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach, allowing millions of people — including dangerous cartels and unvetted Afghans — to flood our communities with drugs and violence. The Trump administration has sealed the border and gone on offense against narco-terrorists. Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them.
Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.
Our warriors in SOUTHCOM put their lives on the line every day to protect the Homeland from narco-terrorists — and I will ALWAYS have their back.
As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.
As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically…
(Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social this morning to declare the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela entirely closed as US military offenses against Venezuela are expected to intensify.
This is an issue that the President long campaigned on when running for President in 2024. In January 2023, just months after announcing his candidacy, the President released a video statement, declaring, “it’s now time for America to wage war on the cartels” with “no mercy.”
“In addition to restoring strong border security, I will deploy all necessary military assets, including the US Navy,” he said. “Furthermore, I will order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure, and operations.”
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Now, Trump is seemingly threatening to launch strikes on planes attempting to leave Venezuela amid the ongoing strikes against boats in the sea.
“Please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said on Saturday, addressing “Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers.”
This comes after President Trump made a phone call to service members on Thanksgiving, where he said that the United States will soon be fighting the drug traffickers on land instead of in the ocean, as “there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore.”
“You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” Trump reportedly said on the phone call.
Full statement below:
To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump has floated land strikes in Venezuela after launching dozens of attacks on narcoterrorist boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Western Pacific, which killed nearly 100 foreign drug traffickers.
As the US military was conducting drills with Trinidad and Tobago’s military and reportedly weighing land strikes in Venezuela, Trump told reporters that he would even consider striking the drug cartels on land in Mexico and Colombia.
“Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump said, adding that he’d “be proud to” attack Cocaine factories in Colombia.
A Portland extremist who threatened to kill ICE officers and sexually assault their wives exposes the dangerous anti-law enforcement violence plaguing America’s immigration system.
Extremist Targets Immigration Officers and Families
John Paul Cupp, 45, was arraigned Monday on federal charges for making horrific threats against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and their families. The Portland man allegedly confronted officers outside the South Portland ICE building on October 14, threatening to kill law enforcement personnel, sexually assault their wives, and harm their children. Cupp later repeated these vile threats in online videos posted on November 3 and November 13, demonstrating his commitment to intimidating those who enforce our nation’s immigration laws.
BREAKING: John Paul Cupp, 45, made his initial appearance today after allegedly making violent threats at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in South Portland.
Cupp has been charged by criminal complaint with Threats Made Against a Federal Law Enforcement… pic.twitter.com/ukBjHm3zOK
The FBI investigation uncovered Cupp’s extensive history of producing violent online content targeting America and law enforcement. According to federal authorities, Cupp “regularly posts aggressive rhetoric, calls for war against the United States, antisemitic threats, and threats of violence.” Screenshots from his social media accounts show him writing “Allaahu akbar, power to the people” while advocating for political violence. This pattern reveals not just isolated threats, but a systematic campaign of extremist propaganda designed to undermine American institutions and terrorize federal officers.
Revolutionary Rhetoric and Martyrdom Appeals
Cupp’s online posts reveal the mindset of a dangerous extremist who views himself as a revolutionary fighting against America. In one disturbing post, he wrote, “An effective revolutionary must yearn in tears for martyrdom. In this way you are unbreakable and live life in an elevated liberated way even in poverty and repression.” These statements demonstrate how anti-immigration enforcement sentiment can radicalize individuals into violence against law enforcement officers who are simply doing their jobs to protect American communities and enforce lawfully enacted immigration policies.
Strong Federal Response Under New Leadership
FBI Director Kash Patel delivered a clear message about the federal government’s commitment to protecting law enforcement officers under the Trump administration. “If you threaten to kill law enforcement officers or harm their families, you will face the full weight of the federal government,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “This FBI will use every investigative tool we have to identify violent extremists and remove them from our communities.” This decisive response represents a welcome change from previous policies that often failed to adequately protect immigration officers facing increased threats and violence.
In a tense standoff caught on video, far-left activists swarmed an NYC garage on Saturday, physically blocking ICE agents from exiting in their vehicles as they geared up for deportation operations.
The confrontation, which unfolded amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive push for mass removals of illegal immigrants, highlights the growing resistance from open-borders groups in New York City, a notorious sanctuary haven that’s long shielded criminals from federal enforcement.
Video footage from the ground shows a mob of masked protesters swarming the garage entrance on Centre Street near Howard, shoving barricades and confronting police lines in riot gear.
Chants of “ICE out of New York!” echoed through the streets as dozens of ICE agents were trapped inside their vans, unable to proceed with what locals described as a large-scale operation targeting illegal aliens in the Canal Street area.
Militant leftists are continuing to call for more people to join the ongoing barricade on Canal and Lafayette.
New Yorkers are out in the streets standing up against ICE in our communities
ALL OUT TO CANAL & LAFAYETTE, NEAR Q TRAIN. ICE RAID IMMINENT. RAPID RESPONSE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY. pic.twitter.com/8bkmyeGKsF
Video footage shows masked protesters crowding around ICE vans, shouting and obstructing the agents, forcing a delay in their mission to round up targets.
NYPD reinforcements staged at Canal and Broadway, pushing back the crowd in heated confrontations that included smoke deployment and physical scuffles.
NYPD opens a path for armed and masked federal agents to leave the garage in white vans pic.twitter.com/qLGP9YGexs
The demonstrators were also seen blocking the roads using trash, which many on social media pointed out as hypocritical given their supposed concern for the environment.
This situation is ongoing. The Gateway Pundit will provide updates as they unfold.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro, the outgoing leader and head of the leftist Libre party, during a press conference in November 2024. Photo: Xiomara Castro / X
On November 28, 2025, President Trump announced he will grant a full and complete pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in U.S. federal court on drug-trafficking and firearms charges.
He was sentenced to forty-five years in prison and has been portrayed by U.S. law-enforcement agencies as the central figure in what they described as a narco-state during his presidency.
Hernández was extradited to the United States in 2022 and has been serving his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia, while appealing his conviction.
Trump’s intervention revived questions about Washington’s history with Honduras’s National Party, which has long cooperated with U.S. migration and security initiatives.
Hernández’s lawyer publicly thanked Trump, calling the pardon a correction of an injustice and expressing hope for renewed partnership between the United States and Honduras.
The pardon announcement was paired with Trump’s endorsement of Nasry Tito Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Honduras’s upcoming election.
Trump said the United States would strongly support Honduras if Asfura wins, warning that Washington would not “throw good money after bad” if a different candidate prevails.
Asfura is a long-time conservative politician and former mayor of Tegucigalpa making his second presidential bid, and he has denied past allegations of embezzling public funds.
His candidacy aligns with the National Party’s traditional cooperation with the United States on migration enforcement, extradition, and security coordination.
Trump portrays Asfura as the candidate most willing to work with the United States on drug enforcement and border security.
Asfura’s main competitors are Rixi Moncada and Salvador Nasralla. Moncada is a senior figure in the ruling Libre party, founded by Manuel Zelaya, and has served as both finance and defense secretary.
Libre identifies itself as democratic socialist and aligns with the Latin American left, modeling itself on the Cuba–Venezuela–Nicaragua bloc and maintaining close ties with those governments.
Moncada has long been part of the Honduran socialist left, serving in Zelaya’s government and later in Xiomara Castro’s administration. Trump argues that a Libre victory would deepen Honduras’s ties with Cuba, Venezuela, and China.
These concerns intensified after Castro’s government severed relations with Taiwan in 2023 and recognized Beijing, altering Honduras’s regional position and influencing U.S. policy toward Tegucigalpa.
The other candidate is Salvador Nasralla, a former television personality running for the Liberal Party.
Trump has framed the election as a test for Honduran democracy, warning that a loss for Asfura could push the country toward the influence of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
He has dismissed Nasralla as a spoiler who could divide the vote and enable a Libre victory.
Nasralla is a long-time political figure known for anti-corruption campaigns and multiple presidential bids and has at times formed tactical alliances with both major parties.
Trump’s statements present his candidacy as a threat to conservative consolidation rather than criticizing specific policy proposals.
Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro has maintained a pragmatic relationship with the United States despite ideological differences.
Her government extended cooperation on extradition, accepted deported Honduran nationals, and acted as a transit point for Venezuelans returned from the United States.
Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, also endorsed Asfura, calling him the strongest opponent of leftist forces in Honduras.
These political interventions are unfolding amid major shifts in U.S.–Honduras relations. In mid-2025, DHS terminated Temporary Protected Status for approximately seventy thousand Hondurans in the United States, with protections scheduled to end in September 2025.
At the same time, the United States and Honduras revived and updated an asylum-transfer arrangement allowing the United States to send some non-Honduran asylum seekers to Honduras for processing.
Honduran nationals and unaccompanied minors are excluded. Beginning in April 2025, Honduran exports to the United States became subject to a ten percent tariff under Trump’s wider tariff policy.
A Congressional Research Service brief described the tariff as part of U.S. leverage on trade, migration, and security cooperation.
The administration also imposed visa restrictions on Central American individuals linked to Chinese influence, a measure intended to counter Beijing’s expanded presence in Honduras after Castro recognized China in 2023.
Trump’s Honduras policy reflects his broader Latin America strategy, centered on migration control, anti-drug enforcement, and opposition to leftist governments aligned with Cuba, Venezuela, and China.
He has increased pressure on Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian socialist leader of Venezuela, whose government is aligned with Cuba and China and has been linked by U.S. officials to narcotrafficking networks.
Maduro continued the socialist economic program that drove Venezuela from one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries to one of its poorest, producing one of the largest migration crises in the world.
Trump has responded through military operations targeting drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and has not ruled out additional military or covert action.
Honduras fits into this wider regional posture, as Trump uses political pressure, visa restrictions, and economic tools to encourage alignment with U.S. priorities and to counter the growing influence of leftist governments and China in the hemisphere.
